Meat-puncturing instrument



(No Model.) 7

T. A. BRAY. MEAT PUNGTURING INSTRUMENT.

No. 570,593. Patented Nov. 3,1896.

Ml 4: :zwzgrg UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS A. BRAY, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

MEAT-PUNCTU RING INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 570,593, dated November 3, 1896.

Application filed February 24, 1896. Serial No. 580,610. (NomodeL) To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. BRAY, of Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Meat-Puncturing Instruments, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to meat-puncturing instruments, and is designed particularly as a quick and efifilcient means for threading through the meat, such as a carcass of a beef or other animal, a tag, whereby such meat will be properly identified at all times as to ownership, destination, and other necessary information for the persons through whose hands it passes in shipment or transportation.

IVith this object in view the invention consists in its novel and peculiar construction,- as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In order that the invention may be thoroughly understood, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a meatpuncturing instrument embodying my invention and in position relative to a tag to thread the latter through a piece of meat. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the instrument on alarger scale. Fig. is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the same, taken on the line a: a: of Fig. 2.

Referring to said drawings in detail, 1 designa tes the shank of the instrument, which is preferably of rectangular form in cross-section, but not necessarily so. At one end it carries a handle 2, while at its opposite end it tapers gradually to a point 3, and fora suitable distance from such pointed end it is made slightly wider than its shank, preferably as shown. Such widened portion is also beveled in such manner that its side margins 4. are brought to a knife-edge, which at their inner ends taper gradually inward to the body of the shank, as shown at 5, so as to prevent or form no abrupt shoulders that will interfere with the withdrawal of the instrument after the puncture is made, or, in other words, for the purpose of facilitating such withdrawal. The instrument in the upper side of its widenened portion is formed with a longitudinal recess 6, which is closed at its inner end by the substantially abrupt shoulder 7, such recess being considerably deeper than the thickness of the tag with which the instrument will be used. Projecting upwardly and centrally of said recesses and disposed longitudinally toward its inner or closed end is a hook 8, the upper surface of which is also some distance below the plane of the upper side of the shank of the instrument, as illustrated most clearly in Fig. 4.

In practice, when it is desired to secure in position a tag, such as the thin metal strips ordinarily used for this purpose, the instrument is first forced through the meat or carcass at the proper point, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The tag 9 is then fitted within the recess 6 of the instrument and with the hook 8 projecting through the eye or aperture 10, usually found in the end of the tag. Theinstrument is then withdrawn through the meat (which may be easily accomplished owing to the existence of the sharpened beveled ends 5 and sharpened side margins 4) in order to thread the tag through the meat easily and expeditiously. In this operation it is obvious that the front end of the tag being held closely down to the bottom of the recess by the hook and adjacent to the shoulder 7 it cannot possibly come into contact with the meat and thereby obstruct the withdrawal of the instrument through the meat, and this is particularly the function of such shoulder. The in strument is then disconnected from the tag, and the latter, upon which may be printed or stamped the instructions requisite, as hereinbefore indicated, is sealed in the usual or any preferred manner.

Thus it will be seen that I have produced an instrument for quickly and easily securing tags in position which will obviate many disadvantages now encountered in this operation, and it is also obvious that I have produced an instrument of this character whichis simple, durable, and inexpensive of manufacture, which may be used for an indefinite length of time without resharpening when made from proper material, such as steel.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A meat-puncturing instrument, comprising a shank having a handle at one end and tapered to a point at its opposite end and also taperedat such end to form sharpened side margins which project slightly beyond the sides of the shank, and provided furthermore With a recess in its upper side and with a hook projecting upwardly and inwardly of said recess, substantially as described.

2. A meat-puncturinginstrument, comprising a shank having a handle at one end and tapered to a point at the other, the latter end being slightly Wid er than the shank and beveled to form sharpened side margins, and recessed also in the upper side of such portion so as to form a shoulder at one end, and a THOMAS A. BRAY.

Vitnesses:

CHASJW. CLARKE, M. R. REMLEY. 

